


Call me baby

by broduced (lululele)



Category: NU'EST, Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Slice of Life, a normal people living normal lives with not-so-normal entanglement AU, and 99.999 percent minhyun feeling deceived, hyunbin is mentioned every chapter but has as of yet zero dialogue hehe, like the rest of the universe i too want to adopt seonho, pledis cameos everywhere, pledis trainees as dorm roommates, this is 5 percent fluff 5 percent cheese 10 percent failed humour
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-27
Updated: 2017-07-16
Packaged: 2018-11-19 21:36:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11322219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululele/pseuds/broduced
Summary: His May-December entanglement (because Minhyunrefusesto call it romance) starts one fine day when he was enjoying a cup of coffee on the terrace of his campus café, gazing upon a teenager pacing back and forth like a baby chick separated from its mother hen.Had he known the consequences that stroke of niceties might brought forth, he would’ve said screw it to being compassionate and go on with his peacefully uneventful albeit sometimes stressful life. Yeah.(that’s a lie)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I went into the show rooting for no one in particular and ended up crying irl due to seonho not making it. I thought I was strong, but I’ve been broduced.

 

He lets the ceramic cup clinks down to the table, sheets of assignment now fully disregarded in favour of staring at the moving blur on the field across. It’s been his fourth time seeing the gangly boy make his way round the café, sometimes peeking in, looking left and right in search of whoever isn’t there, each time progressively walking faster in what appears to be increasing panic. Must be a freshman, he concludes after spotting the campus leaflet poking out of his jeans’ pocket.

 

The detached curiosity morphs into pity once he spies the beginning of tears wetting the boy’s big glassy eyes, and because he’s a kind, compassionate human being, a responsible senior and most definitely __not__ because he finds the freshman rather cute, Minhyun leaves his comfortable couch to stride towards him.

 

“Hey,” he calls, halting the boy’s frantic steps with a hand on his shoulder.

 

Boy hastily turns around, ready to start whine-scolding, and promptly shuts his mouth when he realises the face in front of his is not one he expected. “Where hav—oh. Uh, yes?”

 

“You okay?”

 

“...No, I’m not.” The boy’s lips begin to wobble and for a second Minhyun grows very appalled thinking he’s really going to cry, but then he opens his mouth again and spits out a string of barely comprehensible sentences. “I have no idea where I am and what am I doing and my friend left me saying he’d meet me at the café but it’s been almost thirty minutes since the promised time and I haven’t seen a strand of his hair, my phone is dead and I can’t contact him, and because I’m hungry I ordered choco-banana and only after finishing it did I realise he has my wallet. So I left behind my dead phone as an assurance that I’m not a dine-and-dasher.”

 

He finishes with a resolute shaky breath, sounding somehow proud at the last part. Minhyun nods his head slowly, dissecting the jumble of words and picking out the important bits. “Okay. We should get back your phone first, then you can charge it on my laptop.”

 

The wilted freshman all but blossoms into an open-mouthed smile so suddenly Minhyun is taken off guard. Just a bit.

 

“Really? Thank you so much!” He bows a couple of times, they walk to the snack stall not too far from the cafe, and then he bows once more when Minhyun pays for his long-eaten food.

 

“Here.” Minhyun sweeps an empty space on the table and takes out his laptop. “Just plug it in.”

 

The boy wastes no time booting up his phone once it starts charging to make a heated phone call. “Hello, Guanlin? Where are you? It’s been more than half an hour and you’re nowhere near! What? The cafe, where else? You said to meet up there. Huh? Wait a sec.” He leans far back into the chair, reading the signboard on top of the glass door. “It says ‘Pledis’, why?”

 

He watches with slight amusement as anger drains out of the boy, to be replaced with shifty eyes and a petulant pout. “How am I supposed to know there’s more than one cafe here? I didn’t read your message, my phone died on me…” He listens and sulks quietly for a few more seconds before ending the call with a weak “Okay.”

 

“Everything alright?” The question is merely a courtesy because it’s evident from the way those shoulders slump what his answer is going to be.

 

“Apparently I’ve been waiting at the wrong cafe,” the boy mumbles, looking down and wow. His eyelashes are really long.

 

Minhyun pushes the random thought out of his head and continues asking. “Where’s your friend then?”

 

“Some place called Cube Tree.”

 

“You know where it’s at?”

 

Freshman boy sheepishly smiles and shakes his head. Minhyun feels the corners of his own mouth quirking. “I’ll take you there,” he tells him, gathering his papers in one hand and neatly stuffing them inside his bag.

 

He straightens up on his seat, quickly moving his hands. “Oh no, you don’t have to! It looks like you’re pretty busy, and you’ve already helped me a ton too. I’ll just ask people for directions, really.”

 

“Nah, it’s fine. I was gonna head towards that area after this, might as well guide you along.” A little white lie shouldn’t hurt anyone. He wasn’t making any progress with the assignment anyway. Had no mood for it, more like. What kind of evil lecturer drops a week’s worth of task on the first day of class? His final year has just started and it’s already turning out to be a nightmare.

 

Besides, visiting Hyunbin for a catch-up chat sounds pretty good right now. His department building is closest to Cube Tree and Minhyun could probably crash on his table for a short nap afterwards. The coffee did nothing to him—he would’ve gotten more caffeine in a can of coke than that sorry excuse of espresso. He doesn’t know why he keeps coming back here.

 

“C’mon,” Minhyun beckons for him to follow, and he does.

 

They make small talks along the way, with Minhyun leading the walk and the boy treading behind. He tried a few times to match their pace, but every time he slows down the boy slows down even more, so in the end he just gave up and let the guy trail after him like some sort of human-sized puppy. It’s kind of adorable, in a way.

 

“You’re a first year right?”

 

The boy’s eyes comically widen. He even stops walking for a short second. “How do you know?”

 

“It’s kind of obvious,” he laughs, not expecting the reaction. “We’ve reached your destination, by the way.” He makes a wide hand gesture to the front for added dramatic purposes. “Safely arrived.”

 

The Cube Tree stands before them in all its green and brown glory. If Minhyun is being honest, putting aside his sentimental attachment to Pledis’ shitty beverage, this would be the best cafe their campus has. Despite the horrible service, they actually serve good food.

 

“Oh, I can see him!” The boy turns around and bows. “Thank you so much! If you could wait here for a moment, I’ll grab my wallet real quick.” He starts trotting away but Minhyun is fast enough to hold him back by the arm.

 

“No need for that, it’s okay.”

 

First he looks confused, then he passionately shakes his head. “Huh? But—no, I shouldn’t do that. Please let me pay you back.”

 

They exchange more words back and forth and the boy is definitely more insistent than he initially appears to be. Minhyun scratches his neck and gives out a compromise. “Okay, since you insist, how about you use the money to buy me a cup of coffee?”

 

The boy immediately agrees, once again throwing him a wide smile he could really get used to seeing.

 

“Tomorrow, same place, same time?”

 

“Got it! See you tomorrow, um,”

 

“Hwang Minhyun. Nice to meet you.” He offers up a hand, which is quickly taken and shaken enthusiastically.

 

“I’m Yoo Seonho. Nice to meet you too, and thanks so much for your help!”

 

Minhyun watches the boy walk away while swaying both of his arms up in the air, himself responding with a small wave, a tickled smile on his face. Rather childish, but cute nonetheless.

 

But more importantly: what he did just now. That was real smooth. A pat on the back for Hwang Minhyun, from Hwang Minhyun. Maybe spending his afternoon break drinking barely passable coffee wasn’t such a bad choice after all.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically the 4 nu’est members bantering :>

“What’s taking you so long?”

 

Dongho, who has made two round trips to the bathroom and back, is understandably irked when he sees Minhyun still stuck to the mirror.

 

“Let him be. Not everyone’s ready to face the world with just a slap of lotion to the face,” quips Minki from his lower bunk, nonchalantly scrolling on his phone.

 

Ignoring the not-so-subtle dig at his skincare routine—which in his opinion is perfectly sufficient, thank you—Dongho drops his butt down Minki’s mattress once it becomes clear that Minhyun is not going to move his own ass anytime soon. He pays no heed to the annoyed scowl Minki throws at getting his leg space intruded. “It’s one thing if I know what I was getting into, but this is even worse than his usual ritual. I’m leaving if you’re still not done in three minutes.”

 

“Not that I’m taking his side, but what brings about the sudden change anyway? You don’t usually wear a dress shirt unless for evaluation days.”

 

“Well, I heard Minhyun has a date with a freshman today.”

 

For the very first time since he opened his eyes this morning, Minki lets go of his phone. Trust none other than Jonghyun to drop a bomb in the calmest way possible. “What. Why didn’t I know about this!?”

 

“It’s not a date,” debunks Minhyun, finally breaking his silence. He’s been focusing on making his hair look just the right amount of wind-swept; not too messy, not too stylised. A perfect look for an autumn day, yes.

 

“You can’t honestly expect us to believe that, what with the way you’re preening and all.” Dongho jumps up to him, dragging him to sit on Minki’s already overcrowded bed. “C’mon, spill the beans.”

 

“There’s no bean to spill.”

 

“Jonghyun?”

 

“Hyunbin told me he bragged about helping a lost unsuspecting freshman and tricking him into a coffee date. Those are the words he used, by the way, I’m just repeating it as is.”

 

Minhyun curses under his breath. He should’ve known Minki would undoubtedly be able to get Jonghyun talking, but his biggest mistake was speaking to Hyunbin in the first place. That ungrateful fact-twisting little rascal.

 

Minki, on the other hand, couldn’t be more ecstatic. “Oh. My. God. I can’t believe this. Day one of the semester and our Minhyun has already managed to score a date with some fresh blood.”

 

“You make it sound so horrib—”

 

“But wait, did you say coffee date? Don’t tell me you’re taking him to Pledis? Please say no and let me keep the little bit of faith I have in your judgement.”

 

“...He’s not saying anything. Shoot. Pledis it is.” Dongho removes the hand that was on Minhyun’s shoulder to pat a mourning Minki.

 

“Okay, you know what, I’d accept it coming from anyone else but you guys. Stop acting like you’re not regulars there yourselves. And you,” he peers at Dongho, “Weren’t you rushing just now? It’s been five minutes, let’s go.”

 

The man gives him a toothy smirk. “This is way more entertaining than music theory class. But you’re right, we should leave now.” He slings a laptop bag over one shoulder and heaves up a case with another hand, nudging the door open with his knee.

 

Sometimes Minhyun thinks the reason why Dongho is so buff is due to him lugging around that loop station case everywhere around the campus for the past three years. The times they share lectures together are a reminder to be glad for choosing Vocal Music instead of Composition, although in reality that’s mostly an attempt to make himself feel better at the sucky career prospects of his own major compared to Dongho’s. After all, not all composition students walk around with heavy gadgets attached to their hip—Dongho’s case is just special. Hahaha. Now that’s a good pun. Maybe he should consider being a lyricist.

 

“I expect a full and detailed report of this date when you get back, you hear me? A full and detailed report,” Minki repeats as Minhyun rushes to shut the door.

 

He makes one last eye contact with Jonghyun—the reason he got into this mess, the guy who’s currently giving him a calm, gentle, guiltless smile—and promptly gives up on faking an angry glare. It’s been scientifically proven that staying mad at Kim Jonghyun is an improbable feat, so Minhyun should rather be productive and ‘get his ass moving to class’, as Dongho has just elegantly put.

 

“Yeah, yeah.”

 

* * *

 

So far the day has not been going in his favour. It started with the girl sitting next to him spilling her milk tea all over his books and pencil case. It was thankfully only their second session and there wasn’t much notes to salvage, still, writing with stationeries covered in sticky substance isn’t exactly a pleasant feeling. In the following hour his lecturer held him back after lesson, to inform that the festival he’d been chosen to participate in has been cancelled for one reason or another. That’s regrettable, but at least he wasn’t the only one affected. Misery for everyone involved.

 

The cherry on top, he decides, is the rejection email from the song competition he had submitted an entry for two weeks ago. With how many misfortunes he’s gone through today, Minhyun won’t be surprised if the waiter by some means managed to pour a whole serving of piping hot beverage down his lap. Won’t be the first time it happened.

 

“Hi, sorry, am I late?”

 

He looks up, pausing the spam of rant messages to his roommates and putting on a tight smile. “No, I’m just here early. Come sit down.”

 

Seonho replies with a relieved nod, lips curling up in a way that somehow reminds him of Garfield. “So, coffee?”

 

“Yes. But here’s one thing, my friend made me promise to tell you they don’t really serve the best coffee here. Not even good or above-average, to be honest. Calling it subpar is me being kind.”

 

The boy’s head jerks back with the force of his laughter. Suddenly Minhyun doesn’t find it so hard to keep up a smile.

 

“But you looked like you enjoyed yours, yesterday,” he points out disbelievingly.

 

“Practice makes perfect. I’ve been crashing this couch since I was a first year, by now it’s more of a habit than anything else.”

 

Finally in control of his giggles, Seonho leans nearer to the table to tell him, “I guess it’s a good thing I don’t drink coffee.”

 

“You don’t? Why’s that?”

 

“It’s too bitter for me.” He says this while slightly scrunching his nose, and Minhyun would be lying if he said that wasn’t cute.

 

Also, that’s such a freshman quote. He still remembers the time Minki claimed to dislike the beverage for the very same reason. Fast forward a few years later and the guy requires at least four sachets of Nescafé per day to function.

 

“We can go somewhere else if you’d like,” he offers, but Seonho quickly shakes his head.

 

“Nonono, let’s order. I’ve been eyeing the hot chocolate actually.”

 

As it turns out, the hot chocolate is unexpectedly… good. As in, it tastes, smells and looks like a proper cocoa drink. He’s pleasantly surprised when Seonho exhorts him to take a sip. The boy laughs at his astounded face and demands to try his coffee, to taste for himself just how bad it can be.

 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he yields, passing the cup to Seonho’s grabby hands.

 

Seonho gives him a mischievous stare; one which is immediately broken the moment the liquid touches his tongue. With great difficulty he swallows, hissing and scrambling for the sweet gooey goodness of his own drink. Now, Minhyun doesn’t usually order his coffee black—it just so happens that he felt it necessary today. Another thing he doesn’t usually do is to snort uncouthly, but man. Those flared nostrils. The way Seonho’s face severely contorts is certainly not something he’s prepared for, and Minhyun’s just glad his mouth is empty or else it might not be merely saliva droplets that are splattering their table right now.

 

Forty minutes pass by in a blink and the next thing he knows it’s almost the end of his break. They’re standing at the pathway just outside the café, about to part ways, before Minhyun finally speaks out the question he’s been itching to ask. “Would you be up for lunch tomorrow? My treat this time.”

 

It might just be his imagination or the sunlight, but Seonho’s eyes instantly sparkle.

 

“Sure,” he beams. “Same time, same place again?”

 

“We can meet here, but I was thinking of this small family restaurant just down the block. They sell really good beef noodle soups.”

 

“Sounds great!”

 

“Great. I’ll get going then.” He gestures to the back, nodding a goodbye, then suddenly gets an armful of lanky sweater-clad torso. It takes some time to register that Seonho is indeed embracing him, and just when he can begin to think to appreciate the warmth, the boy lets go.

 

“You look like you need a hug,” states Seonho matter-of-factly, not looking the slightest bit ashamed in front of a bewildered Minhyun. “I thought you seemed a bit down when we met. You already look much better now, but, haha, I just want to give you a hug!”

 

“Oh. Thank you,” he breathes out, unsure of what else to say.

 

“No problem. See you tomorrow!”

 

Cheerfully, Seonho strolls away, leaving Minhyun to ponder over what just happened as he walks to class. Was it very obvious? He must’ve worn quite the long face without realising it. But it’s true that he’s feeling a whole lot better now. He can’t remember the last time someone gave him such a tight hug. It felt nice.

 

With a smile slowly blooming on his face, Minhyun takes out his phone. The intention is to recheck his schedule, but the display on the screen immediately diverts his attention.

_**realbaekho:** damn that’s harsh_

_**pockyjr:** don’t beat yourself up too much. think of it as an experience._

_**pockyjr:** as for the festival, I’m sure there’ll be plenty more chance for you to sing on stage, so don’t feel too bad about it._

_**pockyjr:** fighting_

_**glorypath:** too bad bro, sux for u_

_**glorypath:** but yeah what jonghyun said_

_**glorypath:** anw what about the date?_

_**glorypath:** how did it go?_

_**glorypath:** did u take any pic? selfies?_

_**glorypath:** send it to me i wanna see the lil freshie_

_**glorypath:** is he cute?_

_**realbaekho:** im also curious_

_**optimushwang:** i can’t believe u guys_

_**optimushwang:** thank you, jonghyun_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it wasn't clear, those four live in the campus dorm and are roommates :D all of them have different majors, which i might explore more in later chapters but for now only minhyun's and dongho's are settled hehes
> 
> and this is rather unrelated but i keep forgetting to change my pseud when i leave comments and so i had to edit almost all of my replies sobs to all of you who commented in the previous chapter, sorry for the confusion lmao (update: and i just did it again for this chapter gdi why am i such a noob)
> 
> on an even more unrelated topic, did you guys see the flood of seonho updates today??? he looks so cute and happy and healthy and i'm so glad cube is feeding him well, at least on camera ;;;;;;


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the slow update! I was floored by all the seonho+wannaone activities and this part grew longer than I intended it to be hahas

Currently, Minhyun is avoiding the daggers shooting out of Minki’s eyes. It hasn’t even been five minutes since he turned down the guy’s request and already he has fantasised about bolting out of their shared room for at least sixty-three times. The only thing preventing him from moving those long legs is the merciless pair of feet stepping over his own.

 

“Why?”

 

“I told you, I already have an appointment tomorrow.”

 

“What appointment is so important that you had the audacity to cancel on me at the last minute?”

 

“We didn’t even make any plan. _You_  were the one who waited until literally five minutes ago to tell me.”

 

Minki’s brows contort. “That’s never been a problem before. And answer my question.”

 

“Look, Hyunbin says he’s free.” He shoves the phone in Minki’s face and pats his knee. “Just use him, alright? He’s taller anyway. Better.”

 

“But I made it according to your measurements!”

 

“If by ‘it’ you mean that raincoat looking thing you posted on instagram two days ago, I’m pretty sure Hyunbin’s gonna fit in it just fine. Actually there’ll even be extra space left enough for Dongho to sneak in somewhere, if they squeeze.”

 

“Offence not taken. You’re wrong if you think slandering my creation will bait me into an argument. Answer the damn question.” That’s what he says, but the heels slowly crushing Minhyun’s toes show that offence was very much taken.

 

“Ouch, stop that! I’m going to the movies! That’s all!” He jolts away from Minki, hissing as he rubs his tender feet.

 

“You rejected to be my model for a movie—”

 

Minhyun couldn’t hold back his bitter scoff. Model? “More like, a living mannequin, who has to stay still and pose against the breeze under one layer of fabric as you shout ridiculous things like __‘_ give me your best bedroom eyes’, ‘look thirsty’, ‘show me your adam’s apple, show me your collarbones’ _and many other unnecessarily suggestive instructions.”

 

It’s not that he doesn’t want to help his friend, really. Three years of being subjected to that kind of public humiliation has made him develop an immunity to other people’s stares, but ask him to choose between that and a sort-of-maybe-not-really date with Seonho and the answer is pretty much clear. As clear as Minki’s eyes boring into him.

 

“What?” He asks uneasily.

 

Minki’s smirk only grows wider. “You’re going with that freshman, aren’t you?”

 

Darn him and his mind-reading tendencies.

 

Taking the silence as a confirmation, Minki finally retreats to his own bed, mood taking a 180° turn. “Should’ve said so from the beginning. I could’ve maybe whip up something quick for a couple look, tag along and take photos of you guys making googly eyes at each other.”

 

“In grim, dark raincoats. Yeah, that sounds very romantic.” An unimpressed glare reminds Minhyun he has not fully escaped Minki’s dwindling wrath. “I mean, you said you wouldn’t let just anyone wear your projects.”

 

“Freshie’s got nice proportions. Slim, long limbs. He’ll look even taller in pictures. Doesn’t hurt that he’s got an equally nice face.” Minki tilts his head, squinting. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“...I’m pretty sure you saw him just once, in passing, while you were getting take-out and pretending not to know me despite constantly staring.”

 

He shrugs. “To have a discerning eye is part of my job. And twice, actually. Dongho was curious and our breaks coincided so we took a peek.”

 

That’s it. Minhyun’s never spending any more lunchtime at Pledis.

 

* * *

 

It’s the weekend—a sacred time he normally dedicates to either sleeping all day long or furiously working on assignments. Or, in a more favourable outcome, going out to enjoy the amenities of modern life like the youth he’s supposed to be.

 

Sitting on a bench inside the mall nearest to campus, he glances at the recently bought tickets. From one of the random talks they have, Seonho had told him about getting ditched by a classmate to a movie he’d been wanting to see. Minhyun blurted out, without much thought, that he too, hadn’t seen the movie and the next thing he knew Seonho was happily asking him to go together. Although they’ve been meeting each other almost daily for the last three weeks, it never lasted for more than a couple of hours before Minhyun had to leave for his next class. So the opportunity to spend a whole day together is something he wouldn’t refuse.

 

A short vibration prods him to take out the phone inside his jeans’ pocket. It’s a message from Seonho.

 

__**5mealsaday:** i’m at mr pizza! :D_ _

__**5mealsaday:** do you mind if i order first? i’m really hungry hehehe_ _

__**optimushwang:** that’s okay_ _

__**optimushwang:** i’ll meet u there_ _

__

When he spots him, Seonho has finished two-thirds of his pan and is reaching for the fifth slice. Minhyun stops a distance away, content on watching him stuff his mouth full. The display is something the neat freak in him would be greatly disturbed by had it been somebody else, but as aggressively as he eats, Seonho has a way of keeping himself clean when he chomps through food. It’s kind of fascinating to watch.

 

The boy pauses his feast to land a bittersweet gaze on the last slice. He hasn’t even finished chewing—judging by the twin bulks on his cheeks—and already he is lamenting about the apparent end of his meal. Minhyun couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer.

 

“Ah, you’re here!” He briefly stands to usher Minhyun to his seat, stretching his face further with a grin. “Sorry I didn’t wait for you, my tummy was grumbling like crazy.”

 

“I can see that,” chuckles Minhyun.

 

Giggling sheepishly, Seonho passes him the menu. “I forgot I had an early basketball practice today. Rushed here straight after without lunch. Oh, but don’t worry, I did change and shower so I shouldn’t stink too much!” He sniffs his clothes to confirm and nods smilingly.

 

“You’re in the basketball club?” That’s new. That would mean the probability of Hyunbin and Seonho knowing each other is very high, and Minhyun’s not sure if he likes that. The guy has been bugging him non-stop for an introduction with ‘poor unsuspecting freshman’ and he’s really not at all ready for the endless teasing they both will be subjected to. Well, not like he isn’t already a regular victim but at the very least he’d like to spare Seonho.

 

“Yeap! Been so since middle school.”

 

“I see.” He flips through the pages without really looking, mind flying to dreaded scenarios before Seonho puts a halt to it with a question.

 

“Are you hungry? There’s only a piece left but this is really good, you should try it.” Seonho pushes the pan towards him, and Minhyun can’t believe he’s feeling touched over being offered a slice of pizza.

 

He tells himself it’s because he saw how much the boy enjoyed and savoured the food, but it’s more likely the expectant way Seonho is peering at him, like he can’t wait to share with Minhyun all the good things in the world.

 

Minhyun lifts the pizza and places it onto Seonho’s plate. The boy quirks his head up, eyes questioning, and Minhyun instinctively ruffles his hair. “You finish it, I’m not very hungry. Let’s order another pan and then we can share.”

 

The happy yelp he lets out tugs an adoring smile on Minhyun’s lips.

 

 

After the movie—a fantasy animation he enjoys much more than expected and Seonho loves to bits—they scour the ground floor for some snacks and drinks. A chocolate waffle, spicy chicken cutlets and one cup of lemonade later, Seonho is finally satisfied and proceeds to drag Minhyun to the karaoke room. Two lines into Minhyun’s first song, the boy bolts out to extend their session by another hour. He gives a big applause when it ends, yelling out a cheer and smashing the tambourine.

 

Following that, Seonho piles up one song request after another for Minhyun to serenade while he sits back and stares dazedly. A far cry from the karaoke time he’s used to, with everyone fighting for turns and hogging the microphone. Those are fun, but Minhyun has to admit that once in a while, having his ego stroked feels really good. Especially when Seonho is appreciatively swaying to the music with a look Minki would’ve dubbed as ‘positively swooning’. Minhyun is most definitely flattered.

 

So flattered he continues on a succession of challenging songs and belatedly regrets it when his throat starts to strain. Before he inevitably cracks his voice and embarrasses himself after showing off, he decides to lay down the microphone and prompts Seonho to sing.

 

“No, no, no, your tone is so pretty, I’m perfectly content just listening to you,” he refuses, sinking into the sofa.

 

Minhyun melts a tiny bit. “As much as I appreciate that, I’m afraid I have to rest my voice. I didn’t do proper warm-ups. And I’d like to hear you sing too.”

 

“I’m really bad though.”

 

“Unless you’re tone-deaf, you can’t be any worse than some of the people I go to karaoke with.” They share a few seconds of eye-contact, Minhyun conveying his encouragement to Seonho who still looks unsure even as he grabs the remote.

 

The song choice is already funny to him, but seeing Seonho pouring out his heart singing about reminiscing lost love over a glass of soju, complete with flaring nose and cracked notes, has Minhyun doubling over clutching his stomach. Seonho, fortunately, doesn’t seem to be vexed by his rude laughter and instead asks for advice. They end up having an impromptu vocal lesson during the last one and a half hour.

 

“But seriously, I didn’t know you could sing so well! You’re so good!” He gushes over even after they finished dinner and are walking out of the mall. Seonho doesn’t stay in the dorms, so he has to take the bus home. At nine he excuses himself, saying his classes tomorrow start early in the morning and that he’d promised to be back before ten. Minhyun, of course, offers to walk with him.

 

Once they reach the bus stop, Seonho attacks him with a hug. Without missing a single beat, Minhyun’s arms circle around the boy’s waist to pat his back. It’s an automatic response his body has by now adapted after three weeks of receiving constant sudden hugs.

 

Seonho releases his hold, beaming at him. “I had a ton of fun today. Thanks for agreeing to go with me.” He flops down to the bench. Minhyun follows suit.

 

“I enjoyed it just as much.”

 

His eyes twinkle under the street lamp, glancing up playfully. “It’s almost like a date.”

 

“...So you mean this wasn’t a date?” Minhyun surprises himself by letting the daring reply past his lips. There’s something in Seonho’s lilt that implores him to take the bait, to return what he reads as a hopeful glimpse.

 

“Uh, um, if you want it to be?” It’s clear to see that Seonho is also taken aback. He immediately avoids Minhyun’s face, flustering over his words. Seconds pass and he adds on, voice barely above a whisper, “For me, I certainly do.”

 

If he wasn’t too caught up with his own nerves, Minhyun would have been amazed at the amount of shyness Seonho is showing. The way he is now, he has to inhale a few times—to make up for his heart skipping a beat—before he can answer. “I do, too.”

 

Slowly, Seonho raises his head to peek at Minhyun. When their eyes meet, he tries to laughs off his bashful countenance and folds his hands together, looking down again. “That’s good.”

 

Following his gaze, Minhyun rests his own sight on Seonho’s twiddling thumbs. He chuckles softly.

 

“Yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this chapter is pretty much the fluff before the storm lol. writing progress was derailed because I spent most of my free time reading seonho's countless interviews and video excerpts :'D I'm still not over him revealing the fact that minhyun said let's be roommates if they debuted together I'm so :'DDD why must u torture me this way my son


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cameos cameos cameossss  
> drama and cameos make this one twice as long as the previous chapters, i hope it's not too much of a drag to read D:

**_5mealsaday_** _: I can’t, I’ve got classes_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: sorryyyyy :’(_ __

**_optimushwang:_** _okay_ __

Sixty hours ago he typed the very same response with an unceasing dopey grin. Now the downward slope of his mouth is just as incessant. He closes the chat. Giving in to temptation two seconds later, he reopens it and swipes his thumb in a rapid scrolling motion, backtracking to when all was right in the world before cloud nine kicked him off the ride. 

**_5mealsaday_** _: about 10 mins ago! I’ve washed up and am lazing on the bed now hehehe_ __

**_optimushwang_** _: that’s good_ __

**_optimushwang_** _: go to sleep_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: trying to, but I’m wide awake D:_ __

**_optimushwang_** _: why?_ **__**

**_5mealsaday_** _: I’m still excited about today_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: like, I close my eyes and my mind won’t stop replaying everything haha_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: but seriously thanks so much for today, I really really really really enjoyed it, really!_ __

**_optimushwang_** _: hahaha_ __

**_optimushwang_** _: so I’ll take it you’re up for another date next week?_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: .……_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: if you are_ __

**_Optimushwang_** _: of course :)_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: …you’re not making my road to sleep any easier_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: :(_ **__**

**_Optimushwang_** _: sorry about that :)_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: you don’t sound very sorry either_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: okay I better stop texting now_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: good night!_ __

**_Optimushwang_** _: goodnight_ __

**_Optimushwang_** _: sleep well_ __

**_Optimushwang_** _: don’t be late to class tmr_ **__**

**_5mealsaday_** _: thank you but_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: stop replying_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: I’m never gonna put down my phone at this rate_ __

**_Optimushwang_** _: don’t forget to set the alarm_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: yes I won’t_ __

**_5mealsaday_** _: you’re still typing!_ **__**

**_5mealsaday_** _: don’t reply D:_ __

**_Optimushwang_** _: okay_ __

Reading that actually makes him feel a little bit better. Until he remembers it was a conversation from last Sunday and Seonho has just rejected his lunch offer for three days in a row. Minhyun promptly goes back to sulking. Is he taking it too fast? Seonho seemed to have no problem with the way things were going, if his eager disposition was any indication. They also still text everyday, but it’s hard not to start doubting when he’s suddenly unable to meet after three previous weeks of non-conflicting schedules. Especially when it only happens after their ‘first date’—Minhyun’s not even sure if he can still call it that at this point. 

An open textbook slams over his hovering fingers, effectively covering the screen he’s been frowning at. Minhyun snaps his head and meets Dongho’s side-eye. 

“One more time she catches you glued to your phone, you can kiss this class goodbye.” 

He looks to the front, and sure enough, killer professor turns around from presumably burning holes into his skull to resume writing on the whiteboard. 

“You’re welcome,” mocks Dongho as Minhyun makes a show of flipping through his book. 

“Thank you,” he drawls flatly, pocketing his phone. Dongho is looking at him, he’s aware, but he’s not in the mood to talk. The guy seems to get the memo and pretty much leaves him alone for the rest of the lesson, wordlessly patting his back before parting ways. 

Minhyun nods him a see-you-later and shoves his stuff into his bag, trudging to the cafe. His usual place at the terrace is occupied, so he opts for a corner spot inside. At least that was the plan until someone calls out his name. 

Seungcheol is waving at him to join the table he currently shares with Jonghyun, who’s staring at him with a look Minhyun doesn’t feel too good about. He’s pulled into a handshake following a smiley greeting. “I haven’t seen you since school started. How’re you doing?” 

“Fine. Same as usual. What about you?” 

After some time, the exchange of pleasantries ends when Jonghyun joins in with a guiltless “Alone today?” 

“Dongho has another lecture,” replies Minhyun, although they both know that’s not what Jonghyun is talking about. 

“The freshman too, I suppose?” 

Minhyun does a double take. He thought Jonghyun would’ve definitely left it at that and apparently, he’s wrong. “…yeah. How’s the semester going for you guys, what are you up to?” He turns to Seungcheol aiming for a change of topic, but Jonghyun is unexpectedly unrelenting today. 

“That explains the long face.” He takes a sip and continues, “Dongho told me you were acting weird in class.” 

It’s already difficult to discern that this conversation is happening at all, but what’s even more unbelievable is Jonghyun starting it, and doing so in front of another person. 

Sensing a weird developing tension, Seungcheol decides to disentangle himself from the situation. “Oh, is that Nayoung? I just remembered there’s a note I want to borrow from her, I guess I’ll do it now. Minhyun, it was good to see you. Jonghyun, I’ll meet you later in class. Bye guys.” And off he goes gliding three tables away. 

“He means well,” Jonghyun comments to a silent Minhyun. 

The execution was painfully awkward, but he has to agree. Sighing into the chair, he brushes back his bangs and finally faces Jonghyun. “What was that all about?” 

“They’ve been bugging me to talk to you since yesterday. And to be honest your scorned lover act is beginning to concern me as well.” 

Minhyun scoffs, “Did Minki come up with that?” 

Not bothering to deny the accusation, Jonghyun delves straight to the point. “If you’re suspicious he’s avoiding you, why don’t you try visiting his class?” 

Of course he’s thought about it, but. “That’s a bit too much, don’t you think? I don’t wanna look a like a clingy stalker. And I don’t even know what major he’s in. Never asked, never been told. All I know is he’s in the basketball club.” 

“That’s a start. It’s Wednesday, right? If I remember correctly they have evening practice today. You can drop by, pretend to come for Hyunbin, coincidentally bump to the freshman and talk to him.” 

“Are you serious?” 

Jonghyun remains unfazed under Minhyun’s stare, calmly drinking from his cup. “Or you can be straightforward and tell him what you really feel. It’s your choice." 

*** 

Hours later, his treacherous feet have brought him to the front of the sports hall’s looming double doors. He pushes them open, eyes immediately darting to every side and corner. Scattered all around people are shouting, shooting, dribbling, stretching and doing all sorts of exerting physical activities Minhyun generally avoids. It’s a tad overwhelming, so he tentatively climbs up the stairs to the second level. 

Up above it’s much easier to get a clear view of the whole hall. He has already spotted Hyunbin and a few other familiar faces, but the one he’s really looking for is nowhere to be found. Ten minutes later he gives up on the probability of a toilet break. Twenty minutes later he leaves the hall with more questions than he came in with. Hyunbin said he didn’t know of any first year called Yoo Seonho, and he claims to remember every single member of the club. 

Minhyun wanders out of the campus grounds for an aimless stroll. The night breeze does little to quell his whirlwind of thoughts, but it’s still marginally better than staying still in an enclosed space. A slight pang in his stomach reminds him of the meal he has yet to take, and he takes a turn to swing by one of his frequented restaurants. The place is packed full with chatty dinner crowd; he would have chosen to leave if not for the fragrant aroma of the broth wafting right under his nose. Settling with a takeout order, he slumps down to the chair near the entrance, meant for the waiting list. 

“Wait, Guanlin, can I leave the board with you? I still have to take the bus home, I don’t want to bump into people and have it be torn or dented.” 

He’s heard of that name before, somewhere. Kind of hard to forget with it being foreign and unusual. Not to mention, that voice also sounds pretty familiar. He dares a quick peek to the left and finds himself eye-to-eye with the person he was searching for not half an hour ago. 

“Minhyun?” Seonho bounces up, throwing a radiant smile at him. “Here for the beef noodle?” 

The other guy—Guanlin, he assumes—twists around to look at him curiously. He’s irritatingly goodlooking, Minhyun thinks. “Yes.” 

“Great, come here! Sit with me.” He pats the table excitedly, as if oblivious to the cramped space clearly meant for only two person. 

“It’s fine, I’m taking it back. And your friend—” 

“Ah, Guanlin’s just about to leave, you see. Going to ditch me again, he loves doing that.” Seonho shakes his head at the expressionless boy, tone mock-nagging. “I brought him here because he whined about missing food from back home, and you know what he said? _‘This is Hongkong style beef brisket noodle, not Taiwan’s beef noodle. It’s different.’_ Can you believe it? And yet he slurps it squeaky clean, not a single drop of soup left.” 

In an unenthusiastic attempt to defend his words, Guanlin retorts, “I never said it didn’t taste good.” 

“Yeah sure, so, as a token of appreciation, can you keep this for me?” 

Even his eyeroll is done apathetically. Guanlin grabs the foam board leaning on the wall and stacks it alongside his own, accepting Seonho’s chirpy ‘thank yous’ with a nod. “I’ll go back first then.” 

He bows lightly to Minhyun when they pass by each other. Minhyun returns the gesture, silently noting that beside the unnecessarily attractive face, Guanlin is just as, if not slightly taller than him. His growing annoyance is pushed aside when a hand swiftly pulls him to the recently vacated seat. 

“Are you sure this is okay? He wasn’t looking too pleased about having to leave,” he asks Seonho, who has since resumed eating what presumably is his second serving. 

“Nah, he really had to leave soon, that’s just how his resting face is like. At first you think he’s cool and aloof, then once you get to know him you find out he’s a narcissistic goof.” The boy pauses to chew down his food. “Misleading, I know. I was fooled too.” 

“I see.” 

“Besides, I’m glad we can meet today. Talking directly face to face is so much better,” utters him with such joyful conviction Minhyun almost forgoes the mountain of questions weighing on his mind. Almost. 

So, despite agreeing with the statement, he starts fishing. “I guess you’re getting busy.” 

Seonho grunts, swallowing with some difficulty in his rush to answer. “School reopened three days ago and there’s already so much stuff to do. Did you see Guanlin’s eyebags? Well it’s probably not a good comparison since they’re a permanent fixture on his face but—” 

“Wait. Wait wait wait, huh? What do you mean, three days?” Although the boy sounds very passionate, Minhyun frankly can’t spare the time to give a rat’s ass about those eyebags. Not when what he has just heard makes absolutely zero sense. 

“Yeah, our school’s weird like that. The new semester would have started last Monday in other schools. Not that I’m complaining.” 

He stares at Seonho, trying to get a better grasp on the sentence fragments currently flowing around in his empty head. His brain, probably sick of the constant speculation it’s been put through, chooses that exact moment to finally match the tiny crest on Seonho’s shirt to the building not too far from campus. It’s not just any simple sweatshirt, he realises now, but a sports uniform. 

“You’re a highschool student,” he whispers with both an air of finality and denial. 

Failing to catch his words, Seonho leans forward. “Hm, what’s that?” 

Another realisation dooms upon him and with growing horror, he croaks, “You’re a _highschool_ freshman.” 

The boy corks his head back and smiles funnily at Minhyun. “You guessed it right the first time.” 

There should be a thousand and one ways to deny that no, he did not, in fact, ‘guess it right’, but all of them escapes him at the moment. 

Seonho is still looking at him, confusion growing by the second even though the smile stays perched on his lips. “Is there something wrong? You don’t look too well.” 

In the only lucky occurrence Minhyun experiences this week, he’s saved from having to conjure an explanation by the tap on his shoulder. The waiter hands him a plastic carrier, and he barely registers the hot container warming up his skin when he snatches it away, mumbling out some excuse about sick roommate and a hasty goodbye. 

The food winds up untouched on his desk, ignored in favour of stifling his face with the pillow in hopes this whole day turns out to be just a nightmare and he’ll wake up nice and cozy forgetting every single thing that transpired in the last twenty four hours. 

*** 

Someone up there must not have heard of his prayers, as the clutch of real-life nightmare continues well into Friday in the form of shrill, nerve-grating, downright _satanic_ ear-piercing noises. If he went into voice acting, Jaehwan would’ve probably been cast to dub over Jared Leto’s constricted air heaving struggle Joker impression without even trying. That’s how effortlessly psychotic his laughter sounds to Minhyun. 

And to a bunch of other people who likely share the same sentiment, their eyes pinned to the lunatic beside him. 

“What’s so funny?” This isn’t uttered sarcastically, but instead with the calmness and poise that seem to follow Sewoon around wherever he goes, whatever he does. Each time, Minhyun wonders why and how Jaehwan managed to be such good friends with the guy. Heck, on that note, why is his own darn self even friends with Jaehwan? 

“Oh god, you’ve got to hear this,” he wails. 

The pitch of his voice should’ve tipped off Minhyun that whatever’s coming out of that mouth wouldn’t be anything short of a disaster, but like a helpless bystander he can only watch with trepidation as it all unfolds. 

“So Minhyun here, thought he found someone to call a baby,” here the devil incarnate pauses for dramatic effects, and would have done so for longer had he not been so amused by his own joke and burst out the continuation a whole octave higher, “only to find out that person is literally a baby! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!” 

Kim E Vil then proceeds to cackle maniacally, slapping his own thighs, paying no heed to the guitar sliding off of his lap. He should consider himself lucky there are plenty of eyewitnesses around, because that’s the only thing preventing Minhyun from plucking the string from his guitar and using it to strangle him alive. 

“Stop misusing the word literally,” grits him through his teeth with all the repressed murder intent one could express in a publicly appropriate sentence. 

“Pardon me, your emperor.” 

Minhyun’s probably not all right in the head as well. What makes him think it was a good idea to consult this person in this music room, available for use by all music students, when he could get better advice and peace of mind talking to the murky wall by his bunk. 

Jaehwan glances at the brooding pile of darkness and throws an arm around its neck. “Have you ever heard of that saying that goes like, age is just a number?” 

“So are grades. And yet who was it who sang in front of the statue in the middle of the park, in the middle of the night, begging the founder of the school who died before he was even born to please give him another chance, or else he’s really going to piss on his granite face and light it on fire?” 

“I was not sober!” 

“Obviously.” 

“You don’t get it, it was my final grade, how’d you like it if you got a whooping seven out of hundred, out of _hundred_ , I repeat, they should be glad I didn’t sue for emotional scarring! What kind of qualified academic educator misses an additional zero for a final report card?” 

“You should be glad they didn’t expel you for indecent public exposure.” 

“My fly was only halfway undone. It was dark. All appendages were right where they should be and fully covered up. Ain’t nothing indecent about that.” 

Sewoon’s sleepy eyes grow progressively larger the longer the conversation goes, until they reach maximum capacity and droop again in astonished wonderment. “When did this happen?” 

At last aware of the many prying eyes and ears, Jaehwan shuts his mouth. “Never.” 

“Two years ago, when Jaehwan was but a wee freshman fighting against the cruel, corrupt and unjust system. It was a legendary act of br—” 

“Okay, okay, enough of that. Now back to your problem.” He grabs both of Minhyun’s shoulder and gives it a firm shake. “I get where you’re coming from, but look, it’ll be totally unfair to cut off contacts just like that. Try to imagine it from his point of view, alright? The least you could do is talk to him. And I don’t mean through the phone or, god forbid, a text. Explain that it was a misunderstanding. I’m sure you can do that.” 

Of course he knows. The guilt keeps on piling every time Seonho sends him a new message. It’s worse because the boy sounds genuinely worried about him, asking what’s wrong and wishing him well, telling him to have a good rest and a good night. All that, and he can’t even bring himself to type up a reply. It’s downright pathetic. 

He heaves out a long sigh, hands fiddling with his phone. Before he can begin to regret it, Minhyun presses the send button and closes his eyes. 

**_optimushwang_** _: let’s meet tomorrow_ **__**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. seonho's an early 2002-liner, was in a class with the 2001 batch and would've enrolled in highschool this year if not for the break he took for training+p101 so him and guanlin are classmates here  
> 2\. i shamefully admit that it was that quote of jaehwan's that birthed the title of this fic  
> 3\. yelps i'm really terrible at writing conflicts :////

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a Normal People™, sort of university AU and everyone keeps their real-life age, and thus you know minhyun’s in for a big big surprise later on ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) but for this while let’s just let him have his moment.
> 
> I don’t know what got into me til I became so overly attached to seonho (actually I know very well that it was the pizzagate that snatched me) but the truckload of minhyun/seonho interactions from ep 10 onwards only sealed the deal further. I’m in too deep now, as evidenced by the existence of this multi-chaptered fic.
> 
> Also I basically only write fluff and cheese and unfunny crack so no need to worry about any rated stuff happening between them because seonho is literally still a child gdi but he behaves so adorably with most favourite hyung minhyun I can’t help but to write for them despite the age gap lord forgive me ;;


End file.
